Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels were already huge best-selling novels for a while prior to the arrival of STARZ in 2014. That connection saw Gabaldon’s novels adapted on-screen with her enthralling and emotional time-travel romance coming to life. Caitríona Balfe plays Claire Beauchamp Randall, a WWII nurse who goes back in time to Scotland in 1743, where she meets Sam Heughan’s dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser, who is in the middle of an epic rebellion and the pair fall in love. While STARZ’s show is headed for its eighth and final season, Gabaldon’s 10th novel is not. The series will likely air before the author’s novel arrives, but Gabaldon has an update nonetheless.
Via a social media post, the best-selling author confirmed that while the 10th novel remains unfinished, it now has a title. The tenth novel in the Outlander book series is titled: A Blessing for a Warrior Going Out. For anyone who has watched or read anything associated with Outlander, the warrior in question is most likely Heughan’s Jamie Fraser. The handsome character is no stranger to conflict, having fought in three major conflicts throughout his life. Those conflicts include the Rising of 1745 (during the time he first met Claire), the Jacobite War, and the American Revolutionary War. The character has also had his fair share of mercenary work while he was resident in France. Jamie has several close shaves with death, but Gabaldon doesn’t want fans reading too much meaning into the 10th novel’s title. The author clarifies:
“NO, that doesn’t mean Jamie’s going to die,” she clarified. “It’s not a death blessing, it’s the Blessing of St. Michael, said for a warrior about to go and do something important and possibly dangerous. There are quite a few people in this book who qualify for that blessing, believe me….”
If Time Permits, We Might Get Some More ‘Outlander’ Content in the Future
There are nine novels prior in Gabaldon’s Outlander collection, and while the author had not previously confirmed when Claire and Jamie’s story ends, she has now. Gabaldon has confirmed that Book 10 will be the final chapter in Jamie and Claire’s epic love tale, saying, “Yes, this is the final book of the main series, though there may be other companion books and side stories, depending on how long I live…” Gabaldon is 73 and that means there is time for even more Outlander content if she is willing to offer it. The author also want everyone to know: “YES, I DO KNOW HOW IT ENDS. NO, I’M NOT TELLING YOU.”
While we wait for Gabaldon’s final piece of the Claire and Jamie jigsaw, the STARZ series will attempt to wrap up its own version of events. While Gabaldon is involved in Season 8’s ending, it will definitely differ from what the author offers in the final novel. Series star Balfe, in a conversation with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, was quizzed on how the show might end.
Balfe reveals that speculation wasn’t possible, given the series shot a few variations of the ending:
“I don’t even know the ending. We’ve sort of filmed it in a couple of different ways, and Matt is going to decide, which I think is great so I can’t lie. But I think they’re going to be satisfied. We brought a lot of people back. A lot of the story is explained. I hope they are anyway.”
The final season of Outlander still awaits an official release date. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.